What I've Been Reading: Cabin: Two brothers, a dream, and five acres in Maine

I'm an attorney, and not surprisingly I am also a bookworm.  Last week I finished reading a surprising little memoir.  Cabin: Two brothers, a dream, and five acres in Maine by Lou Ureneck, is a touching memoir of a man on a mission to be a cabin in the woods of Maine.  Along the way he touches on the challenges of blended families, the loss of a parent, sibling relationships, and of course, fascination with cabins.

As a native of Wisconsin, I too understand the role a cabin can play in a families history.  In Ureneck's case, he is at the beginning of a cabin's presence in a family.  Built with the labor of his brother and nephews, it is clear that this place in the woods will be the site of many future family gatherings.  Here in Wisconsin I often have people come into my office who have had a cabin in the family for many generations.  Just as an aging parent, the cabin takes on a challenging role.  How to maintain?  Who will inherit?  After being passed down the family tree, how do 13 different people all get along and enjoy the cabin.

It was my interest in the "cabin" that drew this book to my attention.  Ureneck does an excellent job of articulating the emotions behind acquiring and building a cabin.  It literally becomes a member of the family.  What was left unsaid is what happens to it in the future.  Cabin's don't pass away, the pass down, and it is then that troubles can brew.

Whether you enjoy cabins, adventures  in the woods, memoirs, or stories of people building structures -- this is a great book to read.  Enjoy.